Post-weaning diarrhea (PWD) is one of the major economic loses in the pig industry and is often caused by multiple factors, including nutritional, physiological, environmental and psychological stressors (Heo et al., 2012; Kim et al., 2012).
The most effective strategy to control weaning-associated diarrhea remains prophylactic and (or) therapeutic levels of antimicrobial compounds like zinc oxide (ZnO), copper sulphate (CuSO4) and antibiotics in the feed. However, due to concerns regarding the development of antibiotic resistant strains in foodborne pathogens as well as environmental contamination, there is ongoing interest to minimize or completely eliminate the use of in-feed antibiotics in animals (Lusk et al., 2006).
One proposed alternative to ameliorate PWD and improve gut health of pigs is the use of prebiotics like resistant starch. A prebiotic has been defined as “a selectively fermented ingredient that allows specific changes, both in the composition and (or) activity of microbiota, that confer benefits upon host well-being and health” (Gibson et al., 2004). Resistant starch from potato (Solanum tuberosum) is such a prebiotic and a case can be made that resistant starch is a vital component of a healthy animal gut microbiome. As such, it can be demonstrated that resistant starch from potato aids in (i) establishment and promotion of beneficial gut microbes, including but not limited to phyla Actinobacteria, Bacteriodetes, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria; (ii) altered carbohydrate metabolism and insulin response in animals; (iii) increased uptake, absorption and transport of micro- and macronutrients; (iv) improved integrity of the gastrointestinal tract including mucosal lining (v) improvement in immune function including corresponding alteration of the pro- and anti-inflammatory milieu; and (vi) changes in fatty acid production and fatty metabolism.
Previous research conducted at the University of Manitoba reported that feeding weaned pigs a diet containing 7% resistant potato starch (RPS) resulted in reduced PWD without any adverse effects on growth performance. However, there were no differences in PWD and growth performance for piglets fed a 14% RPS diet compared with those fed the negative control diet.
Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the effects of dietary inclusion of low amounts of resistant potato starch on piglet growth performance and other indicators of gastrointestinal health.